London Design Biennale

The second edition of the London Design Biennale has been placed under the motto «Emotional States». It explores the various ways in which design influences our experiences and emotions. Curator Rebekka Kiesewetter is responsible for the Swiss contribution to the Biennale. She and her team will present «Body of Us», a project that deals with the shaping of friendly relationships as a fundamental element of human existence and as an ethical and emancipatory form of shared living. Her installation includes an outsized Petri dish on which strains of bacteria from different people can be seen to interact. From 4 to 23 September.
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The Team of the Swiss contribution
© Stefan Schmidlin

London design-junction

The London designjunction is one of the most important international exhibitions in the field of interior and product design. From 20 to 23 September Pro Helvetia will be presenting projects and products by seven Swiss design studios on a floor space of over 120 square metres. All these projects received support in the context of Pro Helvetia’s «New Models of Collaboration: Culture and Business» programme. The designers’ presence at the London designjunction will enable them to forge contacts with international producers.

Further information

© HEAD - Genève

City of Images

From 8 to 30 September Vevey is transformed into an open-air picture gallery. Images, one of the most important photo festivals in Switzerland, presents photo exhibitions and individual picture compositions in the streets, parks and other public spaces as well as the museums of the Swiss town situated on Lake Geneva. This year’s festival motto is «Extravaganza».

© Christian Marclay / White Cube

Art and Consumerism

Mathis Altmann works with objects of everyday use. For his installations and sculptures, he frequently resorts to discarded materials, thereby turning the spotlight on our throw-away consumer culture. His installations are now due to be shown in Italy for the first time – from 21 to 27 September at the Istituto Svizzero in Milan.
 

Mathis Altmann «Teutonic Disaster», 2018

Dancing for Europe

The 18th Biennale de la danse in Lyon is taking a political stance this year. «A Europe of culture is more urgent than ever today,» says artistic director Dominique Hervieu when commenting the programme. Consequently, the 18th edition of the international dance festival from 11 to 30 September is putting the emphasis on European creations. Representing Switzerland are Martin Zimmermann, Eugénie Rebetez, Gilles Jobin and Artanim.

Lobbying for Dance

Forum Tanz, the meet-up event of the Swiss dance scene, is dedicated to the subject of lobbying this year, under the title «Dance goes Politics». The morning programme consists of various presentations, with Philippe Bischof, Director of Pro Helvetia, among the speakers. In the afternoon, workshops offer the participants opportunities to explore the topic in greater depth. 8 November 2018, at PROGR Bern. Click here to register. 

Ironic Self- Examination

With subtle irony, Alexandra Bachzetsis explores the mechanisms of authenticity in her work and raises the question as to what extent our daily life itself represents a form of theatre or performance. This is also the focus of her exhibition «An Ideal for Leaving» and her performance «Escape Act», both of which are on show at the Centre culturel suisse in Paris from 7 to 9 September.

Aus «An Ideal for Leaving» von Alexandra Bachzetsis © Blommers & Schumm

Portraits by
Franz Gertsch

Franz Gertsch’s international breakthrough came with a series of monumental portraits of his artist friends, which were displayed at several exhibitions including Documenta 5, curated by Harald Szeemann, in 1972. From 17 September to 2 December the Swiss Institute in New York  is presenting these portraits from the 1970s and 1980s again for the first time in the form of a retrospective.

Franz Gertsch «At Luciano’s House», 1973

Contemporary Swiss Music in Lausanne

The Label Suisse festival has grown from a local event in Lausanne to a festival of national importance. From 14 to 16 September in Lausanne, contemporary Swiss music can be experienced in all its diversity. The bandwidth covers pop, jazz, classical and contemporary music, as well as modern folk – 60 concerts overall, including several world premieres. All concerts and events are free of charge. 

Swiss Jazz in Asia

With over 100,000 visitors each year, the Jarasum International Jazz Festival in South Korea features among the largest of its kind in Asia. For Swiss musicians Colin Vallon Trio, Schnellertollermeier and Tobias Preisig, who will all be travelling to South Korea in October, the festival represents a welcome opportunity to make themselves known to new audiences. From there they will journey directly on to the OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival in Shenzhen, China, and then to Tokyo and Osaka in Japan.